Milton's Secret: An Adventure of Discovery Through Then, When, and the Power of Now

Helped My Child (And Me) Understand Being (in the Now) Better.

Eckhart has such a profoundly simplistic and powerful message that applies to the core of what life is all about. This gentle book enables a clear perspective of nourishing the vulnerable beauty and curiosity of children in their most formative years. A true gift...

I wish Eckhart Tolle would do more children's books. We need to teach the children such a great message of presence.

What a perfect introduction to the liberating, enlightening teachings of mystic Eckhart Tolle. He is a real way-shower for all faiths, and not only children get glimpses of the Divine by reading this first children's book by such a venerable spiritual teacher. My 10-year-old's teacher said she loved the book, our Sunday School youth group teachers said it is awesome, and my 5-year-old was helped by its anxiety soothing "techniques" during a recent hospitalization for pneumonia. She also applied its wisdom to dealing with a not-nice boy in school, and mentioned it after seeing a "bad man" on the news. "He doesn't feel the light in him," she said. I am giving it as Christmas presents to all my nieces and nephews and starting a campaign to get it in all our local school libraries, the hospital's library of children's books, and the county libraries. The adult book by Tolle to read is A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. Milton's Secret is the golden-nugget version of that "teaching", accompanied by beautiful almost Norman Rockwell-ish illustrations. Oh, I am also sending a copy to my conservative Christian mother so that it can be at "Grandma's house," too. And great-grandma's house, in her case. She and my Dad enjoy Tolle's life-freeing teachings for adults, as well. They have read both A New Earth and The Power of Now. If you haven't yet, jump on this bandwagon. All your relationships will improve, with your partner, your children, your parents, your boss and co-workers and with God. We are talkin' about the ability to make instant connections to the Ultimate in any situation that might come your way, be it unpleasant or pleasant...

When I saw that the Power of Now had been moved to a picture, storybook format I bought it immediately - for myself. Let's be honest, simple is always best! WEll it is simply delightful. And I have decided to pass it along to a 10 year old girl for Christmas with the hope that it does not take her as long as it has me to realize that the Power of Now is within our reach, every single moment. The book encourages the reader (by Milton's Grandfathers wisdom) to look past the appearance or discomfort or fear of a given situation to see the truth that our reaction is a choice & to know that in this moment, all is well. Highly rcommend it & the art wokr is really well done too.

"That night, Milton couldn't get to sleep. He was thinking about what happened--and what would happen when he ran into Carter next time...The more he thought about all of this, the more frightened he became. He thought about it so much that he became more and more scared until he completely forgot that he was in a warm bed in his little room." - From the book In the new book Milton's Secret, bestselling author Eckhart Tolle brings his message of the liberating power of Now to young people. Co-authored with Robert S. Friedman, Milton's Secret uses the backdrop of school bullying, as well as a dog attack on a beloved pet cat, to weave a compelling story about a cheerful, bright boy named Milton who encounters these situations--and what happens when he becomes preoccupied with the possibility of harm on the schoolyard. Concerned the past and worrying about the future rob us of our peace and joy. Milton discovers that although his cat Snuggles had just been attacked by Brutus the Doberman, the furry pet was able to curl up on Milton's chest, purring blissfully. Wondering about this, Milton asks his Grandpa how his cat can be so happy after just being beaten up. Grandpa replies: "Milton, cats are not like humans. Snuggles can easily let go of what happened yesterday, and he doesn't worry about tomorrow. He lives in the Now. That's why he's happy even though not long ago Brutus was attacking him. Most people don't live in the Now because they think of yesterday or tomorrow most of the time. And a lot of the time they are unhappy." After dinner, Grandpa notices that Milton seemed troubled and asks him about it. Milton admits that he'd been fearful because a sixth grade bully named Carter pushed him down that day--and he was afraid he'd do it again. Grandpa then explains to Milton that worrying about Then and thinking about When are all in his mind--because they are not here Now. That night in bed, Milton thinks obsessively about what Carter did, and what he might do next time. He then dreams about Carter and Brutus, who have him trapped in an alley. Weak with terror, Milton then notices a door that looks like an entrance to a store. "Enter Now", the sign says--so Milton quickly opens the door. The ice-cream shop and the kind ice-cream lady he knew from his waking hours had been transformed. She offers his a ball of glowing white light on an ice-cream dish. No, it's not the sundae-of-the-month choco-cadabra--it's something much better: a light bubble that pops into a glowing shower of sparkles. The ice-cream lady explains that the light is now "hiding" and asks Milton if he can find it. He hears a strange noise like a little engine--it's his cat, Snuggles, purring happily! She then explains that this "light" is a sense of aliveness that is felt only in the Now--that it's in his cat, the flower in the counter, herself...and Milton, too! While Grandpa showed Milton what the "outside" of the Now looked like (Then and When), the ice-cream la